Are Supplements a Waste of Money?
Being healthy is soooo in right now. So hip, in fact, that if you DON’T take at least 4 supplements daily, you’re probably not sitting at the cool kids table if you know what I mean.
But do we really need them? Are they actually effective? Or are they a big ole waste of your hard earned money? Here are 4 ways to know if your supplements are worth it.
Quality. Do you know anything about the sourcing of your supplement? Is it a reputable brand? And just because it’s a big name brand, doesn’t mean it’s a good one. It’s ridiculous, but there are hardly ANY regulations on supplements. Companies can say just about anything they want and put it on the label, true or not. And if the quality is poor, your body isn’t going to absorb it. So it’s really important to do your research. More on that later.
Benefit. You’re looking for two types of benefits. How you feel, and how much easier it makes your life. For example, when I take turmeric (on occasion), I get relief from headaches or other pain. Whereas when I take collagen (daily), the immediate benefit is that it helps me get enough protein in. Of course there are long term benefits as well, but sometimes you really just need a life hack so you have one less thing to think about.
Bloodwork. Have you had any bloodwork done recently? Do you know if you actually NEED to take anything? I’m very minimalist when it comes to supplements, because I believe we can get all of our nutrients from food. But in the Standard American Diet, it’s just not realistic. Our diet and lifestyle has led to a whole host of deficiencies and health issues, and sometimes supplementation is necessary. I suggest everyone get their bloodwork done before supplementing, so that you know what nutrients you need most, and so you can stop spending on money on things you might not even need!
Sidenote on bloodwork… A good Primary Care Physician can be hard to find. Sometimes they’ll question why you want something done, and/or try to talk you out of it. Others will happily run the tests, but blindly follow the protocol for what are “normal” instead of optimal results, which means you might still be deficient. If you’re in the market for a new PCP, I highly recommend considering a Functional Medicine Practitioner, which you can find here. Many don’t take insurance, so definitely call before going, and then you can decide if it’s a good option for you and your family.
Gut Health. This is super trendy right now, and for good reason. The gut is EVERYTHING to your health. I talk more in depth about it here, but there is SO MUCH MORE to it. This is almost always the number one priority that I work on with my clients because nothing else is going to be resolved until the gut is well. That weight you’re wanting to lose? Let’s talk about digestion instead. Your joint pain? Insomnia? Anxiety? Acne? You can only make serious progress in those areas if you’ve got a healthy gut. And until then, pretty much any supplement you take isn’t going to be absorbed or assimilated. So you want to start out with diet and lifestyle changes, then start taking supplements that will target the gut specifically.
Okay so now that you’re thinking about all the money you’ve wasted over the years, relax. It probably made you feel cooler and healthier at the time, so there’s that. Plus, you can’t go back now, so let’s just focus on how you can approach supplements a little differently in the future.
For example, think about that “veggie powder” or “juice cleanse” you’ve been taking for years… is there anything in that you can’t just get from real food? Do you think they’re high quality? Read your labels, and you may find some scary stuff in there. Not to mention, the form that they come in is probably not readily absorbed by the body, anyway. #teamrealfood over supplements any day.
Photo by Gesina Kunkel
So how do you know who to trust? Where can you get high quality supplements? There’s so much conflicting information out there. But here are some people and brands that I’ve grown to trust:
Supplement recommendations by Chris Kresser
Empirica by Emily Schromm
Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson
So what supplements do I take and recommend?
(Not making personal recommendations, just some of my go-tos)
ACV & lemon water first thing in the morning to get the digestive system started for the day
Grass fed collagen peptides daily for gut, joint, bone, & skin health (and extra protein)
Vitamin D/K2 in the winter
Cod liver oil for brain, joints, skin, and inflammation
Turmeric for pain relief or inflammation
Magnesium to help calm the stress response and help with sleep
Probiotic or probiotic foods (depending on the person and their gut flora)
This is not an all inclusive list, just some basics that most people would benefit from. And I don’t mean everyone needs to take all of these every day, I don’t even do that. I focus first on getting in as many nutrient dense, whole foods as possible. But because life happens, supplements can be a great resource.
I hope this was helpful for you to figure out if your supplements are worth it or not!
Questions about supplements? Comment below or email me at lexie@wellfromwithin.co